


Promises Keeper

by MMonster



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Kid Skye | Daisy Johnson, Multi, No underage in this fic, Probably a mix of different stuff, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-27 17:09:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15029270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MMonster/pseuds/MMonster
Summary: Coulson meets Daisy sixteen years earlier than in cannon, when SHIELD finds the facility Doctor Whitehall performed his experiments at. She is a frightened child with powers she can't understand or control. When people from a past Daisy can't even remember start reappearing, can Coulson keep her from monsters scarier than those she has already faced?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something I'm writing.
> 
> Enjoy!

There is a skinny kid inside the room. It scrambles away from Phil as soon as the light slips inside and huddles against the wall, sitting on the thin mattress and clutching a blanket. He is wearing a white, plain shirt and has his head completely shaved.

“Hey, there.” Phil holsters his weapon, brings his hands up to show they are empty and leans his head back slightly, showing his neck in a classical nonthreatening position. Wishes the bastard responsible for this wasn't in the wind. “I'm not going to hurt you.”

The kid looks mixed race, almost white-passing, but still visibly asian. He is very small and his big eyes make his face emaciated in a heartbreaking way. He unfurls from the position he was in, turns towards Phil the slightest bit, curiosity on his eyes.

“Who awe you?” His voice is high pitched like a young child's, so Phil guesses, coupled with his size, that he is maybe 8. Having no idea how long he has been here for, however, means Phil can't be sure.

Phil tries to get closer, but the kid flinches away and seems about to climb into himself again. There is time, the base is taken, the Strike team and the best agents of SHIELD themselves are dealing with it. So Phil sits down on the floor and waits for the kid to look at him again.

“I'm a good guy, okay? You can call me Phil. What is your name?” He tries, in his gentlest, kindest voice.

“The Doctor calls me Subject Two.”

Phil's stomach churns at that, but he smiles encouragingly. The kid opens his mouth, closes it. Opens again, unsure.

“But long, long ago, one of the nice nurses said my name is Daisy. That my mommy gave me that name, befowe she died. She said it's a flower and she even bwought me one, once. It's white and yellow and pwetty.” It all spills out like something the kid was holding back for a while, in a low and barely understandable tone.

“That _is_ a really pretty name, Daisy.” Phil reevaluates the child sitting in front of him. Truly, there are no gender marks on her. He assumed she was a boy on the haircut alone. A typical mistake. “Are you still friends with that nurse?” He asks when the silence gets long.

Daisy's face closes up, she looks away. Phil could kick himself.

“She went away. No nice nurses anymo-we.”

_It's about to get hot. 2 minutes tops. Over._

Phil hears Clint's voice on his comms and knows he has run out of time to talk with Daisy.

“I'm so sorry, Daisy.” A pause. “Do you want to get out of here, with me? I promise to keep you safe.” He knows even if the kid says 'no', he will hail her out anyway. But he feels that in the event she says 'yes' it will be a less traumatizing experience.

Daisy looks him from up to down, a particular type of intelligence that even an upbringing like this can't totally steal shining on her eyes.

“Okay.” She gets up and the thinness of her legs makes Phil want to cry or hit someone, but he schools his expression into a kind smile and gets up himself.

“We need to be quick, so I will have to carry you, alright?”

“'kay.” Daisy nods and extends her fragile arms towards him. Phil crouches to take her and Daisy attaches herself to him like a tiny octopus, legs around his waist and arms holding to his shoulders. Her weight is pretty much negligible and he tries to hold her gently but firmly as he runs out of the place.

It's barely 15 seconds after they make it on the quinjet that the bomb goes off and takes the whole place with it. Daisy is still holding onto him like a monkey and he doesn't feel like dissuading her from doing so, specially when they are surrounded by what must look like scary people to her. Men in dark tactical suits and metal and a lot of talking.

A medic goes up to him and Phil manages to convince Daisy to get a quick check up, but when the guy wants to give her an IV drip, Daisy goes mental. She screams at the medic and clutches at Phil, telling him he promised to protect her. The jet goes through turbulence and Phil almost falls with her on his arms, but manages to keep upright. He motions the medic away and sits down, shushing Daisy with kind words, hand caressing her back, until she calms down. The turbulence stops, but he stays sitting.

“Would you like some candy?” He offers when she is finally only sniffing in his arms. She looks up at him with dark, teary eyes and he holds her just a bit tighter because he can't help but want to make her feel better somehow, and this child seems to be as starved for affection as she is for food.

“What do I have to do?” She asks, resigned. Phil clenches his jaw.

“Nothing.” He assures.

“Not even let the pokey?” She tests.

“Not even.” He promises. She looks suspicious, but nods. Phil procures one of the sweets he keeps on himself at all times – being a field agent demands energy – and rapidly produces a slightly melted snickers bar.

Daisy takes it and he has to help her with the packaging, but she smiles so wide at him as she munches on it he would have thought he gave her a trip to Disneyland instead of a smashed, weeks old sweet.

“I'm thirwsty.” She tells him when she finishes and he grins at her and rubs her back, grateful that she feels safe enough already to tell him what she needs.

“Let's get you some water then, shall we?”

Phil takes her to the corner of the quinjet where the bottles of water are kept, trying to avoid the worst of the Strike team, which is still standing around and talking. He glances towards the cockpit but sees neither Barton nor Romanoff. He opens a bottle and offers it to Daisy and she manages to drink the whole thing in ten seconds without spilling a single drop.

“Hey, hey, slow down, you're gonna make yourself sick.” He admonishes softly. She nods shyly and asks for more, so he gives it to her and watches as she drinks at a more sedate pace.

“Good girl.” He praises, rubbing her back. She smiles and rests her head on his chest, looking tired.

“Think you want rest a bit now?”

“Yes, please.” She snuggles further on him and he rests his hand over the nape of her fragile neck.

“Do you want to try a cot or a mattress?” He checks, but she becomes alert and shakes her head no, vehemently.

“Wanna stay with you. Can I?”

“Of course.” He sits down as far from the bustle and noise as possible, straps himself and Daisy and tries to find a comfortable position. He settles for just holding her against his chest as she sits on his lap, her front to his. He keeps caressing her back lightly as she goes slack and falls asleep.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, Romanoff comes out of the cockpit and walks towards him, straps herself to the seat beside his.

“Another stray?” Her voice is quiet and heavy.

“Looks like it. She said her mother is dead.” Phil answers, trying to keep from waking Daisy up. She doesn't even stir.

“Do you know her name?” Natasha asks.

“Daisy. But The Doctor called her Subject Two.” Natasha's eyes go a bit wide at that and Phil raises his eyebrows in question.

“I got into the mainframe. A lot of files about experiments with subjects, but most of them focused on Subject One and Subject Two.” There is pity in Natasha's eyes. Phil knows it can't be good.

“What is it?”

“Assuming her mother is Subject One, yes, she is dead.” She pauses, looks around a bit. “Doctor Whitehall has been experimenting on Subject Two since it was less than a year old. He found her in a village in China, took her right out of her father's arms before killing him. And the whole village. And an entire SHIELD team that had been sent.”

“A SHIELD team?”

“Yes, they were sent about an 0-8-4. None came back, the 0-8-4 was lost.”

“Do we know what it was?” He asks Natasha, bewildered.

She looks at him, then at the child in his arms, pointedly.

“No...” Phil marvels, looks down at the tiny being he is holding. “Why would she be an 0-8-4?”

“That is the question, isn't it?”

“What was Whitehall looking for?” Phil asks.

“He had a device, called it the Obelisk, it turns anyone who touches it into stone, except for a few 'chosen ones'. Subject One… her mother, was one of those few. Whitehall discovered she didn't age and used her to make himself young again. He spent the last 7 years trying to figure out what makes Subject Two special as well.”

“And did he?” Phil can't help but clutch little Daisy tighter to him, he doesn't even notice when her breathing speeds up and she moves slightly against his body.

Natasha glances at the child, at him. She seems… apologetic.

“Yes.”

“What?” Phil has to know, he met this child today but he already feels responsible for her.

“There weren't many details.” She hesitates, her voice drops so low Phil has to read her lips to understand her. “But one of his experiments… He managed to cut a piece of the Obelisk and melted it. When he exposed Subject Two to the result, something happened. His former base was destroyed, the file didn't say how exactly. That is why they moved, how we managed to pin him down. Coulson, Whitehall concluded that the 'chosen ones'… that Subject Two is a weapon.”

The quinjet starts shaking then, violently. He holds Daisy tight.

“More turbulence?” He asks Natasha, but she isn't looking at him. She is looking at Daisy with a completely blank expression, and Daisy is looking back, frightened.

“What are you doing?!” Phil yells at Natasha, accusingly. Daisy seems to startle even further and the turbulence gets so strong it's hard to not be flung around by the straps of the seat. “What is doing this?” He asks no one in particular, but it's Daisy who answers with a tiny voice that can barely be heard over the rattling of the plane.

“I am.” Her eyes are wide and she is clutching his shirt so tight her fingers are white.

Phil doesn't think, he frames her face with his hands, caresses her temple with his thumbs.

“Can you stop it, Daisy?” She shakes her head, so afraid it's like a physical presence bodily shaking everything. Natasha is still watching, impassive. “Please, Daisy, just try. Can you feel me breathe?” He takes her right hand from his shirt, presses it against his chest, inhales long and deep and then exhales slowly. “Can you feel that, sweetheart? Just breathe with me, slowly, yes, like that; we will do it together.”

Daisy tries to mimic his breathing, eventually both of her hands rest on his chest and she manages to get into sync with him. The quinjet slowly shakes less and less, until it stops with a shudder. Daisy is so focused on breathing she barely seems to notice. When she is finally calm, he kisses her forehead.

“Good girl, you did great, Daisy. You did incredible.” He tells her, before hugging her tight. He looks at Romanoff over her head, who is watching with a mostly blank expression marred by a tiny regretful smile. He knows he is giving her a betrayed expression, he can't help it. If Daisy hadn't been able to control herself, they would all be plunging towards the ground thousands of feet below.

“I'm sorry, Phil.” Natasha says, she glances at the child Phil is holding. Daisy is watching the redhead with hurt, distrustful eyes. “I apologize, Daisy.” The girl doesn't answer.

“Was it true?” Phil mouths at her, no sound leaving him, over Daisy's head. Natasha just nods in a quick, barely perceptible movement, before going back to the cockpit and leaving him alone with a probably further traumatized little girl.

 

* * *

 

Daisy overcame her newest trauma much faster than Phil thought she would – he is afraid to think too much about what that means – and he has been playing “I Spy” with her for over an hour when they finally touch down. That is good, since he is rapidly running out of things to spy. There aren't that many distinctive objects inside a SHIELD quinjet and he was seriously considering using Rumlow as one. He is glad it didn't come down to that.

But Phil is a bit in love with the girl, already. Aside from the responsibility he now feels towards her well-being, he has discovered through that simple game that she is a smart child who loves interacting and can do so really well, considering the context she was brought up in. She managed to guess most of his objects very fast and choose a few difficult ones for him, which he actually had to think to discover.

Phil is honest enough with himself to admit his relief when he steps out of the quinjet with Daisy and finds that they are, in fact, at the Hub. He is still mad at Natasha and intends to have words, but he does understand why she did what she did. It's a part of the Index Asset Evaluation and Intake. They had to know what Daisy can do before they could bring her to a place like the Hub, instead of a more unpleasant facility, like the Sandbox – Phil feels his heart almost literally clench at the thought of Daisy in a place like that, so similar from where she just came from.

The difficult part is convincing Daisy to detach from him long enough for a debrief and for her to get a real check up. She is tenacious and her grip is really, _really_ strong, considering the weakness of her constitution. It isn't until he promises, with all words, that he will be back in exactly one hour, that she let's him go, begrudgingly.

Phil also makes sure to tell the doctors that no needles or sharp objects are allowed around her, and when an irritable older doctor challenges him on that, saying blood samples are imperative, he gives him his best glower. Which is pretty good, considering how unassuming Phil is most of the time. Since the info about the op and Daisy herself is classified, Phil restrains himself to only threatening to stick Romanoff upon the one dumb enough not to do as he says. It's the least Natasha should do, after that little stunt.

As expected, it works, so he leaves Daisy behind with a promise and an encouraging smile.

He arrives at the debrief just as Nick Fury himself is sitting down on his chair. Phil settles by the other end of the table. Barton, Romanoff and the leader of the Strike team, Rumlow, are the only ones present aside from himself and Fury.

They all stare at each other for a moment. Fury raises his eyebrows in his classic 'what the hell are you waiting for?' expression.

“I managed to recover the data at the base's mainframe. It should be available to you by now, sir.” Natasha starts.

Fury nods.

“Anything particularly eye-catching?”

Natasha glances at Phil before answering.

“There are a few details we should discuss later.”

“Very well. What about you, Coulson?”

“I would rather speak in private, sir.”

“You do know that even in a spy agency, not everything has to be secret from everyone, right?” Fury asks them, exasperated.

“I do understand, sir.” Phil answers, but Natasha doesn't bother. Her expression is schooled into one of perfectly polite boredom.

“Tell me something, Barton.”

“Shot a lot of people today, sir.”

“Something useful, goddamit.” Fury's voice rises in annoyance.

“What I meant, sir, is that the base was well maned. Lots of fire and man power. Tech on fleek.”

“You mean someone other than Whitehall was financing them?” Rumlow asks.

“Possibly.” Barton shrugs noncommittally. “It's worth exploring.”

A long, uncomfortable silence stretches on. Fury seems about to fire them all when Rumlow sighs and gets up.

“I see I'm the gatecrasher. If you will excuse me, sir. Barton, Romanoff, Coulson.” Rumlow acknowledges them all in turn, before leaving the room.

Fury takes a deep breath before letting it out long and loud.

“Now you all managed to hurt Rumlow's feelings.”

Phil is the only one with enough dignity to answer that.

“I apologize, sir.”

“Well, spit it out, now. Don't tell me you kicked the guy out for no reason.”

Barton just sits back and stares at Natasha and Phil in turn. Natasha looks at Phil, an expression of endless patience on her face.

Now, away from Daisy and after the crash of adrenaline has completely passed, Phil can marvel at the fact he met his very first gifted – not enhanced – person. And she is a tiny, helpless little girl. Who has shaking powers of some sort that she has trouble controlling. It's _awesome_.

“We found a gifted child, sir. A little girl, eight years old, I believe.” Phil says. Natasha nods in confirmation. “Her name is Daisy. She was locked in a cell at the base, only a mattress and a blanket with her. But she talks well, is really smart and affectionate, so I doubt she was always that isolated. She seemed very malnourished, however. I can't be sure in which conditions she has been most of her life, but I can definitely guess they were bad ones.”

“What is her gift?” Fury asks. This time, Natasha is the one who answers.

“Whitehall called it 'vibration manipulation'. He theorized that she can tap into the natural vibration of things and enhance it. In it's most basic form, that translates to earthquakes, but he hypothesized that with finer control she would be able to target the vibrations to more specific points and with determinate frequencies. The possible applications for that were described by him as 'limitless'.”

“She made the quinjet shake very hard, and we think she was responsible for the collapse of Whitehall's last known base.” Phil completes. He looks at Natasha.

“In order to preliminarily assess her threat level, I exposed her to an aversive situation. As Agent Coulson mentioned, the quinjet started shaking violently. But the girl was able to control the vibrations by decreasing her heart-rate with breathing exercises.” Natasha seems… glad about it. That dissuades Phil from his annoyance. Slightly. Despite how protective Phil feels about Natasha herself, he can't help but be disappointed at her actions.

“Agent Romanoff let a frightened eight years old child overhear that she is 'a weapon' and put us all at risk in the process.”

“She couldn't very well bring an unknown gifted to the damn Hub not knowing how destructive she is, now could she, Coulson?” Fury asks rhetorically and Phil clenches his jaw.

“I'm not questioning the objective of her actions, sir. I simply believe there were other, less invasive and safer methods to do that evaluation. Agent Romanoff shouldn't have exposed that child or us to that situation. Hadn't Daisy been able to control her gift, the consequences would have been deathly.”

Fury stares at him hard and long, before blinking.

“You're damn right, Agent Coulson. I hope you are paying attention, Agent Romanoff.”

She is. She looks at him and her expression isn't displeased, but open.

“I did what I believed was the best course of action at the time. Now, I realize alternatives were possible. I apologize.” She inclines her head towards him.

“Just, Agent Romanoff… Natasha, just talk to me next time, alright?”

She smiles at him.

“Sure.”

Truth is, Natasha has been at SHIELD for less than a year. Phil can guess why she would think what she did was appropriate. Not too long ago, she was KGB. He knows, old ways take a long time to change. She has been trying, hard, but some things she can only learn by messing up. It's a speck of humanity on the flawless young woman he can actually appreciate, most of the time.

“Anything to add, Agent Barton?” Fury questions. Clint sits straight.

“Whitehall's operations were most definitely funded by other sources. The equipment, the facilities… Whitehall had nowhere near that capital. We should look into it, sir.”

“I will get communications on that. For now, I'm going to delegate. I know you would rather have field assignments, but Agent Romanoff, I want you to take a deeper look into Whitehall's files and the girl, Agent Barton can help you. Phil, you found her, and clearly has already adopted _another_ stray.” He pointedly looks at Natasha and Barton. “Make sure she takes her shots and doesn't bite any of my agents. Or shakes this whole damn place down.”

He stands up, his trademark black trench coat, coupled with the eye patch, make him look like an intimidating, slightly deranged pirate. Not that Phil will ever tell him that.

“I have things to do now, places to be. Keep me updated.” He then strides out, imposing.

Phil checks his watch. He has 15 minutes to get to medical in time to keep his promise to Daisy.

“Let me know what you find, Natasha, Clint?” He asks, before leaving. Both agents nod.

He has a promise to keep, so he speeds his pace until he knows he will make it with a few minutes to spare. He does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback, guys. :)
> 
> But, just be nice. Also, Cousy is endgame, but there will be NO underage. If the kind of platonic relationship Daisy and Phil have in this chapter and will continue to have for a lot of the story makes you uncomfortable with the idea of a future romantic relationship, this isn't the story for you. I'm writing what I want to read, that is it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Phil is a mix of surprised and very, very relieved when he arrives at the med station and finds Daisy munching on some hospital food while she stares, almost mesmerized, at a Television playing global news.

She doesn't notice him as he approaches her, but as soon as she does, she drops the plastic spork she was using to eat and gives him a smile.

Before any conscious decision can be made, Phil is already smiling back and getting close enough to run a hand over her head and face, checking her for any injures, even though he knows she was safe here. Her short hair is soft under his fingers and he can feel bumps on her scalp, but they feel like old scars.

“Phil! You came back!” Her smile turns into a grin.

“I made a promise, didn't I?” Phil notices the smell of soap and the fact that Daisy is now wearing blue SHIELD issued clothes, which are surprisingly perfectly her size. “Did you shower?” He asks.

“Yep. Malcolm asked me if I wanted to and I did, because I was stinky. So he gave me some clothes and I showewed by myself.”

“Wow, by yourself?”

She nods, proudly. Phil is not usually one for enjoying interactions with children, even if he is pretty good at them, but dealing with Daisy is rapidly becoming a delight.

“Who is Malcolm?” He asks, but it isn't Daisy who answers.

“I am.” It's a 6'9, african-american man with blue SHIELD scrubs and a kind smile. “Doctor Ethan Malcolm, it's a pleasure meeting you, Agent Coulson.”

“Pleasure is mine.” Daisy seems happy to continue eating, a bit more messily than a child her age should, so Phil turns to talk to the doctor more privately.

“Doctor Vanhorn assigned me Daisy's case after you left. He… was not happy with your instructions, sir.”

“Ah, so he gave you her case because what, you are new? Thought she would give you trouble?”

“Because I'm new and because I'm black.” Phil is taken aback by that, but Dr. Malcolm just smiles. “But Daisy is a sweet girl. Just had to take off my lab coat and offer her some food and she was happy to let me check her vitals. I did take your advice and avoided sharp things.”

“Glad to hear.” He looks back at Daisy, who has finished eating and is now just watching TV with that same fascinated expression. “She doesn't deal well with sharp implements.”

“I figured. She was pretty scared of the lab coat, as well.”

Phil nods.

“But how is she?”

“Dehydrated and malnourished, but that is something you could tell just by looking at her.” He has a serious expression now, lips pressed together. “But nothing life-threatening, and we have been feeding her liquids and a bit of light food since you left. And, of course, she showered.”

“Good.” Phil is relieved, but Dr. Malcolm isn't finished.

“What worries me, however, is the scars.”

“What scars?”

“She has deep, old and new scar tissue around her scalp.”

“Someone performed brain surgery on her?”

“That is what it looks like. Also, on her arms, torso, lower stomach, legs… Some of it is barely visible, so it was probably done with laser technology, top of the line. But it's there.” Malcolm looks deeply disturbed. Phil thinks his own expression must be something like that. “She allowed me to use a portable X-Ray to look better. She has had one of her ovaries removed, one of her kidneys, a piece of her liver. Pretty much any organ that she can live without, was taken from her.”

Phil only notices he is grinding his teeth when when one of them clicks. His hands have curled into tight fists and he starts taking deep breathes. He is almost afraid to ask, but he has to.

“Any signs of sexual assault?”

The Dr. shakes his head.

“I would need to do a direct examination to confirm, but she didn't flinch at my touch, when I asked her to describe some of what was done to her, nothing of the like came up. What she suffered was hideous, torture. But it has almost a… clinical feel to it.”

Phil lets out a long sigh of relief.

“Is she going to be okay?”

“Well, as you know, her ovary and her kidney won't grown back, but as far as I could tell the ones she has remaining are in perfect health. Her liver as well. If we manage to bring her weight up and hydrate her, she should be just fine. But I do think more in-dept exams should be performed, to assert better what was done to her, particularly to her brain, and if any after effects should be expected.”

“How long will that take?”

“A couple of days, at the most.”

Phil stares at the doctor. He stares back, calm and collected, but not detached. On the contrary, Dr. Malcolm seems as touched by Daisy and what she has gone through as Phil.

“Alright. But you will perform invasive tests only if strictly necessary and in my presence, do you abide to that?”

“Yes. I think the most invasive thing I need is a blood sample. Other than that, only if the results for the other tests come back worrying.”

Phil nods, before turning his back to the doctor and going towards Daisy. He sits beside her on the bed and she wastes no time to snuggle against him, eyes on the news still playing on the TV. He kisses the top of her head and rubs her arm. It's not the doctor's fault, Phil knows it. But he can't help but feel frustrated at the man for wanting to put Daisy through more tests, more of the same she has been forced into her whole, short life. Phil is just glad he is here for her, during the process.

 

* * *

 

The testing goes mostly okay. As Dr. Malcolm promised, the only invasive part is a blood draw. It is, also, the most difficult part. Daisy is – understandably – terrified of needles and sharp things. Both Phil and Malcolm try everything, offer her candy, talk to her, explain why it's necessary. She refuses.

Malcolm, with a very regretful expression, suggests holding her down and just doing it. Phil is categorical when he says no. Instead, at night, he let's sleeping gas inside the hospital room and the doctor takes the sample while she sleeps deeply. In the morning, the tiny mark of the needle is gone, and Daisy doesn't notice a thing.

Despite being by far the best course of action, Phil feels terribly guilty about it. That second day, he spoils Daisy rotten with candy and lets her win all the games they play.

Fortunately, Dr. Malcolm discovers that most of the surgeries performed on Daisy, including the brain ones, were exploratory. That means minimal, if any scar tissue was left and that they can expect no side-effects. It still makes a shiver run down Phil's spine and a seething rage settle on his chest, the fact that Whitehall opened Daisy's head to see what was inside, stole whole organs from her, took things she can never get back. Treated her like a thing, a toy, a lab rat. Not like a person.

The really interesting, or perhaps horrifying part, is when Daisy's DNA results come back. Dr. Malcolm literally can't open them, since they are above his clearance level. So Phil does it himself, and his eyebrows rise almost to his already receding hairline.

“I need to talk to Director Fury.”

When Phil manages to get in touch with the man, he tells him that a meeting is already scheduled, and both Romanoff and Barton will be there. So, that afternoon, Phil kisses Daisy's forehead and leaves her with the doctor, who has implicitly already gained his trust, to go talk with Director Fury about who or what she is.

Phil is the first to arrive and sits there, on the glass and chrome room, twiddling his thumbs, until Natasha and Clint get there together, closely followed by Fury.

Phil in the first to speak, after they have all settled and gone through the obligatory greetings – which, for them, is a head nod to all present.

“I assisted Dr. Malcolm in performing necessary testing on Daisy, to assert both her health and what was done to her. According to him, she had almost all non-vital organs removed, including one of her kidneys and ovaries. She has also had brain surgery, but it seemed to have been exploratory ones that left no aftereffects. She has no sign of sexual assault.”

He continues. “A psychological evaluation hasn't been performed yet, but I've spent the last two days with her. She is a sweet child with a good temperament, demonstrates empathy, is surprisingly social and affectionate. She is also very smart. She beat me at all memory games we played. And I wasn't letting her win after the first one.” Phil can't help but smile a little at that. “Dr. Malcolm also did a DNA test on her. The results are unprecedented.”

At that, Natasha interrupts.

“Dr. Whitehall performed frequent DNA testing on the subject, before and after what he called 'the event'. Before, her DNA was what one would call normal. No markings would indicate she is any different from the rest of the population. However, after, Whitehall found that the molecular structure of her DNA was permanently altered. It was still recognizably hers, but micro and macromolecules were added on top of the existing ones. It became… non-human.”

Fury looks at Phil.

“Yeah, that is pretty much what I was going to say. About the DNA, I mean, sir.”

“We also discovered that the change was considerably recent.” Clint says. “Less than a month ago. We confirmed that she caused the collapse of his last base when she turned. Whitehall was having issues testing her after the change, she became physically stronger and any time he or one of his technicians approached her, quakes would start. The facility we destroyed was one he chose specifically for its earthquakes resistant structure. Still, for this last one month, he was only able to perform experiments she allowed him to, mostly when he offered something in return. Food, water, a toy.”

“That is why she was so isolated when we found her, why she was starving.” Phil concludes.

“Yes. It's a basic behavioral rule: privation of a reinforcer increases its reinforcing value. By starving her, Whitehall was guaranteeing that she would allow his experiments in exchange for food.” Natasha explains. Her face is blank, as it is most of the time when she isn't playing a part. But there is something in her eyes that makes Phil want to look away. It glints like the edge of a sharp knife.

“Has she had any incidents these last couple of days, Coulson?” Fury actually sounds concerned about her well-being. It's in these moments Phil remembers why he follows this man. Despite having always his one eye in the big picture, he still cares about the individual.

“No, sir. I presumed they are mostly caused by aversive stimulation, so I made sure she wasn't exposed to any.”

“Good. How are we on tracking Whitehall and his financers?”

“We lost Whitehall still on Europe. But we have all channels looking for him, if he pops his head out of his cave, we have him. The money trail has led to a few interesting places; in particular, a mining company in Switzerland. Just give us the green-light and we can get some eyes on it, maybe even a strike if it looks shady, or too clean.”

Fury nods. “I want every resource on smoking out that guy, you understand me? We have no idea what he is doing or what he can do if we just let him prance around. But continue looking on where the money for his operation came from. To hit him where it hurts, we take the money away.”

Fury, Natasha and Clint seem already ready to move. But Phil interrupts them.

“Sir, what about Daisy? Should she stay here? Where? We are not exactly kid friendly.”

Fury takes a deep breath, his hand comes up to rub at his temples.

“And where should we put her, Coulson? A kid that can level a city block if someone tells her 'no'?”

Phil has no answer to that.

“The Cocoon, maybe?” Clint is the one who suggests. The Cocoon is a training facility and a safe space created for enhanced and gifted individuals who are still learning to control their powers. It's in New York, so not far from the Hub, and it is as of now pretty much empty. There is certainly structure and space to turn it into a safe space for Daisy, where she can learn to control her gift and not pose danger to herself and others.

“Perhaps soon. But for now I believe it's best if she stays here. We do have kid-friendly spaces, Coulson. Not every SHIELD agent is unmarried and childless. There is even a kindergarden.” Fury is funnily defensive about it.

“But who will take care of her?” He presses.

Fury looks annoyed. “I would say you, but you will be busy. Just choose someone from personal who you trust and try to keep as close an eye on her as possible. The Cocoon is a good idea, and she should go there eventually. But first she needs to be formally interrogated and take a psyc eval.”

“But The Cocoon is a long-term solution, sir? Daisy is a good kid, eventually she should maybe go to the system, get a family.”

All three of them look at Phil as if they are afraid he lost his mind. Fury is the one who answers, his tone hard but understanding.

“It doesn't matter how good of a kid she is, Coulson. She could be a genius that has absolute control over her abilities and does exactly as we tell her. She will never get a family, or a normal life. She is one of the handful of gifted people we know about, she is going in the Index at 8 years of age. And she is a powerful one at that; she doesn't make pretty fireworks, she has destructive potential that can rival some weapons we spent decades and billions of dollars developing.

The best we can hope for is that SHIELD manages to keep her safe and healthy as she grows, and that she learns to control her powers. After, if that is what she wants and she proves trustworthy, we will set her up with a new identity and let her live her life. Or she can become an agent. But we can't afford to try to give her a normal childhood, Coulson. That would endanger her and everyone around her.”

There is a bitter taste inside Phil's mouth. He understands what Fury is saying, truthfully he already knew it was what he was going to say. It still leaves him with a terrible after taste and a heavy heart. He unclenches his jaw to respond.

“I understand, sir.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, just to clarify two things about the first chapter:
> 
> 1\. Rumlow is already leader of the STRIKE team 21 years ago - in this fic. After researching him and the actor, I found out that Frank Grillo is a hawt 53 years-old dude. So age-wise, he would at the very least already be a member of the STRIKE team 21 years ago. So, I'm keeping that, just because I don't want to use an OC and it is possible that Rumlow was just badass enough to be make STRIKE team leader at 32 years old. And he totally is.
> 
> 2\. Natasha's first year at SHIELD is also 21 years ago. But I love the comic back story for Natasha, so I will be keeping some of that. In other words, in this fic, Natasha is considerably older than she looks.
> 
> The other characters all fit into the time-line pretty well. But tell me if you find inconsistencies?


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